Monday, October 21, 2013

Children's iPad App, Moody Monster Manor

With Hallowe'en fast approaching, I want to tell you about Moody Monster Manor, a cute little app for kids.

From the developers:

Calling all kids who love monsters! Come with us to Moody Monster Manor. You can create your own monsters, play fun and exciting games, win monster merit badges, or meet the 20 monsters through the Moody Monster audio tour.
Moody Monster Manor is a place to learn about dealing with emotions through engaging and interactive games -- Zap Scared Sam’s bad dreams with your magical monster flashlight or whip up a pot of Stinky Sneaker Stew for Hungry Hank. Help Confused Carl throw a Monsterrific party or show your brainy side by breezing through Worried Wanda’s homework.
Whether you’re making the monsters a silly snack, rescuing them from a nightmare or helping them with homework, you’re always taking care of your Moody Monster friends and helping them solve their problems.
There is so much to do in Moody Monster Manor!
• Ages 3-8
• Create Your Own Monsters: Avatar Creation Page
• 4 Games
• High-Score Merit Badges
• Original Moody Monster Manor Music & SFX
• Teaches About Emotions, Matching, Colors, Animals
• Problem-Solving, Critical Thinking, Emotional Intelligence

What I liked:

I am amazed that this app is free so far. My advice is to grab it soon! It's a lovely one for kids under 7, with children being encouraged to play 4 simple interactive games, read/listen to find out about the monsters who live in the Manor, or best of all, to create their very own monsters. I liked that the monsters' names (Confused Carl, Scared Sam) and their emotions are alliterative, a useful clue for kids in some of the games. (There's also a book to match, including finger puppets, on Amazon.)

What confused me:

I couldn't find how to access the monsters I created and saved. They certainly weren't in my camera roll. If your kids want to use them, perhaps to tell their own stories, you might need to take screen shots. {To do that, press and hold the menu button (the main button below the screen). Then while the menu button is held down, press the power/lock button (the switch on the top edge of your iPad.)}

Also, there are locked doors that might be there for more games in a future app upgrade? But there really are lots of nice activities for free, so I will try not to be a Worried Wanda!

Here's a monster I made with the app, using screen shot and crop, then speech bubble and frames added via Ribbet.